“Nah,” replied Audrey with her cheeks puffed up. “It isn’t as yummy as the one I had in Uncle John’s house, but Greg says I should eat more to make Daddy happy.”
Anthony was speechless.
Gregory Hall, you are indeed my son.
Gregory knew his father’s temper well. Seeing Anthony’s scowl, he placed his sushi down and pouted pitifully, waiting for his father to reprimand him.
Yet, Anthony said nothing and merely shot him a glare before striding back into the kitchen. It was a warming sight.
The moment he walked away, Gregory and Audrey immediately resumed their chatter. They took the tray and returned to their toys.
The villa used to be deathly quiet, but it was lively because of the children chattering and clinking noises from the kitchen.
I chuckled. All my life, I wanted to lead a peaceful life just like this.
If nothing had happened six years ago, the twins wouldn’t be separated for such a long time. As parents, we had let them down.
I suddenly recalled something. “Where is Summer? Is she alright now?” I asked.
If I wasn’t mistaken, the time I gave Jared was up. Summer must’ve grown up to be a cheerful teen by now.
“Don’t worry. I need to tell you something, Letty.” John crossed his legs and leaned back into the sofa, his expression stern.
I couldn’t get used to how rigid he was. “We’re siblings, so just say it. There’s no need to hesitate.”
John inclined his head. He stared at the ground before meeting my gaze. “Emma and I have a three- year-old child.”
I didn’t know it was about his child. It took me a while to process the news before I flashed a warm smile. “That’s great. Is it a boy or girl?”
“A boy,” replied John shyly. “His name is Drew.”
“Drew.” I repeated the name happily. “It’s a great name. I hope he will be wise as his name.”
John flashed a sorrowful smile. “I thought you’d blame me.”
He paused at that. Taking a deep breath, he went ahead and said, “You were missing, but I got married and even had a son. I don’t deserve to be your brother.”
It seemed like he was mocking the past six years of his life, but I knew that wasn’t it.
John was no longer the frivolous and vicious young man he used to be. He had matured and was able to support his family and run a business empire.
The past six years had been wasted, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault. He shouldn’t blame himself for it.
Besides, he took great care of Audrey.
I stood up and went to him before sitting down. Patting his shoulder, I told him, “John, you’ll always be my brother. You have an additional responsibility now, but that doesn’t mean anything has changed between us. Thank you for what you’ve done for the past six years.”
John had suffered a lot when I was lying in coma, doing nothing.
In a foreign country, he had to search for my whereabouts while taking care of his parents. He also had to run a business. His responsibilities must’ve taken too much of his life, so he could only sleep for a few hours every night.
Hearing my words, tears welled up in John’s eyes. His gaze softened. Though he had a dominating presence, the sight of him forcing back tears was a little melodramatic.
I didn’t want to continue being sentimental and hurriedly changed the topic. “Tell me. How did you successfully court Emma?”
Before I left the country, I remembered Emma was focused on her career. She no longer wanted to be with John. Once a woman focused on her career, she wouldn’t want to get involved with a man anymore.
Thora was a great example.
John scratched his head as though he was still the handsome and innocent young man. “Err, I didn’t really court her. After you went missing, I traveled around the world to find you. I exhausted all means available and refused to stop. In the end, I collapsed from exhaustion and remained unconscious for three whole days. Back then, Emma took over the whole Stanhope family. Sometimes, she doesn’t really act like a woman.”
His last sentence was clearly mocking Emma, but the blissful smile on his lips was unmistakable.
“After a while, I searched all the islands in Cranur before realizing it was basically impossible to find you. I returned home in a daze to see Emma playing with Audrey in the living room. The scene blew my mind. Immediately, I wanted to marry her and live a normal life with her. We shall form a family together.”
As John explained everything, the grin on his face widened. Clearly, he had a blissful life.
My lips curved up upon imagining that sight. “So you confessed your feelings to her right then?” I teased.
Confessing one’s feelings, acceptance, and falling in love with each other might be a cheesy route, but as long as the ending was good, one should still look forward to it.
Hearing my question, John flashed an evil smirk and said nothing.
Huh. How strange.
“Did you bully Emma?” I pressed on.
“Bully her? Of course not. I won’t do that.” John dismissed my question with a wave, the smile on his lips unwavering. “Well, I used an unusual solution. Uncle Louis taught us that special circumstances require special measures, right?”
Speaking of Louis, he seemed energetic when we talked through a video call back in the hotel. “I thought Uncle Louis is going to battle against Ezra and the rest? Why did he go to M Country, too?”
The Stanhope family treated me as their own, but Louis was a righteous man. He knew Ezra and his gang were behaving tyrannically, so he wouldn’t retire and spend the rest of his life overseas.
“Ezra Grant is history.”
John leaned back into the couch and tapped on the handle nonchalantly.
“A successful person is likely to be targeted. To get to a higher position, Ezra resorted to dirty tricks. He tried to increase his influence and attack his rival. Yes, he did succeed, but he also attracted the attention of internal affairs. A new broom sweeps clean, so there is bound to be someone new who dares to challenges the authority. After being summoned for an investigation, Ezra never came back.” He was a person of authority, yet he disappeared without a trace. It proved that the situation was too widespread. The only solution was to erase every trace.
Ezra’s disappearance signified the end of an era.
That was a satisfying ending.
John wasn’t interested in irrelevant people. He glanced at the kitchen and narrowed his voice. “How long are you going to stay in K City? My men are ready to kidnap him anytime.”
I couldn’t believe he took my words seriously.
Immediately, I burst out laughing, causing John to crinkle his nose up in disgust. We both glanced at the kitchen at the same time and saw Anthony shooting us surreptitious glances.
I calmed down and patted John’s shoulder. “Tell them to be on standby.”
Standing up, I headed to the stairs. “I’ll go take a shower. Holler me when dinner’s ready.”
When I went for a follow-up checkup, the doctor said I’ve recovered. However, I was sweating profusely after spending two hours outdoors. It was terribly uncomfortable.
Thinking it was the medicine’s side effects, I ignored it and filled the tub with hot water. When it was full, I entered it and closed my eyes.
I finally found myself after regaining consciousness. It was a difficult but needed journey.
Back then, when I opened my eyes, I saw Marcus who had gone missing for a long time. Everyone else thought we were a couple engaged to be married.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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